Home > Gwinnett > Rick Badie / My Opinion > Archives > 2008 > March > 11 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USParkview students to confront dangers of risky behavior
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Parkview High students who belong to a school-sponsored prevention club held a routine meeting last April, shortly after the massacre at Virginia Tech.
Lots of kids wanted to talk about the tragedy - its senselessness, the violence behind it, the shooter’s motivation. More important, though, they tried to move beyond the finger-pointing generally associated with a crime of this nature.
“Talk is fine, said Margaret Shortreed, the club sponsor. “But the thing we try to instill in the students is what actions can we put behind the words. Pointing fingers is the last thing we want to do.”
Preventive action is the mission of Parkview’s SAVE/SADD club, a combination of two national student organizations: Students Against Violence Everywhere and Students Against Destructive Decisions.
Shortreed knew about SAVE before she joined the Parkview staff as a parapro. South Gwinnett High had a chapter when she worked there. Parkview High had a SADD chapter when she got there. With the administration’s blessing, she started a SAVE chapter, then merged the two clubs.
The club hosts Red Ribbon Week, the annual fall drug awareness campaign. And in April, the group runs pledge campaigns that implore students to have a safe prom and grad season.
Every summer, club members take part in a weeklong camp at the Georgia Teen Institute, a leadership training program, held at Oxford College, Emory’s two-year campus. There, students are encouraged to identify a community need. The Parkview club chose high-risk teen behavior - violence, drug and alcohol abuse - as issues to combat.
These topics will be the focus of a town-hall meeting set for 6:45 p.m. Thursday in the school theater. Panelists are Nicole Love, associate director for the Gwinnett Coalition for Health and Human Services; Millie Linville and Mary Kate-Murray, program specialists for Gwinnett United in Drug Education (GUIDE); and Bill Richardson, a founder of “It Won’t Happen to Me,” a teen driver safety awareness program.
You’re invited.
Mandisa Surpris, a Parkview senior who serves as club president, said the prevention club hopes to encourage parents to be more attuned to their kids - what they are doing, who they are doing it with, where it’s taking place.
“Our mission is to spread education about how to live above the influence,” she wrote in an e-mail. “We give students alternative ways to have fun, rather than be involved in ‘destructive decisions.’Â ”
For more information about SAVE/SADD or Thursday’s town-hall meeting, contact club sponsor Margaret Shortreed atmargaret-shortreed@gwinnett.k12.ga.us.
Rick Badie’s column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Contact him at 770-263-3875 or e-mail: rbadie@ajc.com.
Permalink | Comments (17) | Post your comment | Categories: Rick Badie
Comments
By LT5000
March 11, 2008 9:34 AM | Link to this
Hmmm. What could possibly be utilized in our public schools that could instill a sense of morality in students? Perhaps Religion.
Oh wait, you can’t do that. While the Student Gay Alliance meets down the hall……
Of course, when Gwinnett schools try to bring “problem” students in front of the disciplinary boards, the cries of racism soon arose.
Because 68% of these problems students were black or Hispanic, despite being only 44% of the student population.
http://georgiaunfiltered.blogspot.com/20070501_archive.html
This is just another useless feel-good group contributing absolutely nothing.
LT5000
By Chuck
March 11, 2008 11:06 AM | Link to this
Which religion should we choose? Anyway, would one assume then that all the participants are wonderful white kids, or that doing nothing is better than something?
By Gandalf, the Grey
March 11, 2008 11:34 AM | Link to this
Chuck, Christianity! Duh! (Oh and not that freaky variant called Mormonism, or as I like to call it moronism!)Aren’t all white kids wonderful? STFU!
By LT5000
March 11, 2008 12:03 PM | Link to this
All religions, not including the pseudo ones of Satanism and Wicca, have a values system associated with them.
These disciplinary issues do not exist at Religious based schools.
Once again, when Gwinnett did bring the problem kids to the Disciplinary Board, the kids happened to be minorities.
Instead of doing anything about the problems, people demanded more white kids be disciplined. Talk about Affirmative Action.
A bunch of students getting together and talking may make somebody feel good, but that’s about it.
There’s no substitute for parental guidance and harsh punishment, no matter what race.
LT5000
By Michael H. Smith
March 11, 2008 1:06 PM | Link to this
Science and society disagree on race. Science has no need of that “social crutch” to function. Unfortunately, society categorically cannot seem to function without the prop of race to lean on for support.
As Chief Justice Roberts wrote in a decision ruling against an affirmative action case, the best way to stop racial discrimination is to stop using race - Kudos to the Chief Justice and Science.
By ALR
March 12, 2008 12:18 PM | Link to this
Why is it no one can ever compliment the kids for what they are trying to do? These posts are for a bunch of grumpy, middle age people who can never find light at the end of the tunnel! If you don’t have anything nice to say…don’t say anything at all. Kudos to Parkview and to Gwinnett County Public Schools! My child has been in the school system since kindergarten and he’s now in the 6th grade! I have had nothing but great experiences in his schools! Oh, and we are white and we may not be the majority, but we have never had a problem!Again….great job Parkview kids!
By Enough already
March 12, 2008 1:38 PM | Link to this
Rick, it is time for you to start monitoring your blog. You have every right to delete hate speech. The fact that you don’t reflects more on you than on the person posting the ugliness. Step up.
By Mark
March 12, 2008 2:05 PM | Link to this
Enough already
I have the same right to voice my opinion here. Just because our opinions differ, doesn’t make your’s or mine any different.
By Fred
March 12, 2008 8:16 PM | Link to this
I am laughing my butt off. I read Rick’s column and said to myself, now how in the HELL will someone be able to bring race and racism into this one? Dumb question I reckon, as LT5000 is as bad as the black race warriors he so scorns about making everything a racial issue. Wish we could send all the racists (of every color and creed) to an Island where they could fight to the death for supremacy……… and then go in and kill the winner so the rest of us HUMAN BEINGS could live happily together.
Enough already: Bite me with your hate speech crap. It is as articulate as sniffing loudly, saying (in what your tiny little mind thinks is a scornfulmanner), “Whatever,” and acting as if you had made some life defining revelation.
Mark: Hate speech is classified as anything a liberal does not like. The label has become as meaningless due to misuse and/or overuse as the word racist. It’s only function now is to positively identify the insipid, mindless morons who use it as….. well; insipid mindless morons. Lacking any rational thought abilities and/or basic communication skills, they must rely on sad tired catch phrases that they can not accurately define.
Rick: Again nice column. I appreciate your positive attitude on the life in Gwinnett of regular people quietly making a difference in the little circle around them. LOL It still amazes me though the depths to which some have to sink in order to put a negative slant on EVERYTHING you write. It’s fun having stalkers isn’t it?
By LT5000
March 13, 2008 9:08 AM | Link to this
Fred, Give us a break. The cry of “Racist” is the last refuge of the scoundrel. Congratulations.
As pointed out before Gwinnett County stopped disciplining students because a disproportionate amount were minorities. That is a fact you choose to ignore and yell “Racist”.
I will feel free to mention that in the subsequent paragraph of your post you said to Mark quote
“The label has become as meaningless due to misuse and/or overuse as the word racist. It’s only function now is to positively identify the insipid, mindless morons who use it as….. well; insipid mindless morons. Lacking any rational thought abilities and/or basic communication skills, they must rely on sad tired catch phrases that they can not accurately define.”
Congratulation on issuing a sad tired catch phrase due to your lack of intellectual depth
It’s not racism to point out a majority of Gwinnett Schools disciplinary problems are minorities.
As for Parkveiew’s “Hands Across Gwinnett”, I can guarantee it won’t change a thing.
LT5000
By Mark
March 13, 2008 9:37 AM | Link to this
Posting facts isn’t racism. And the fact is that blacks and hispanics make up the majority of trouble makers. Mr. Badie removes my posts, but he knows it’s true. He simply removes them because he’s black and offended by the truth.
By Fred
March 13, 2008 3:07 PM | Link to this
Dear Mark and Lt, it is you two who choose to bring the color of ones skin into every post you make, not me. I merely comment upon your obsession of skin color.
Nothing in Mr. Badies column indicated race. Nothing in Mr. Badies column even attempted to identify “the trouble makers” or even the troubles. He did not dwell upon who, what, when, why, or how there are trouble makers. He did not discuss the annual output of yak dung from the upper regions of the Andes mountains either. I wonder why? Maybe it was because none of these things a thing to do with the subject his article was about. Since his written words were too obscure for you mental giants let me try to break it down for you:
Mr Badie gave some exposure to a group of students who are trying to figure out a way to stop violence, drug use, and alcohol use in their school. Things these students decided were self destructive behaviors. He was giving them and their groups some exposure. He did not one time interject his opinion of them, their clubs, their goals, their religions, their race. It was a straight, brief reporting job on the organizations mentioned. Why was it necessary to turn the discussion on a piece about some idealistic youngsters trying to learn to peacefully effect positive change amongst their peer group into a race and religion diatribe? Neither race nor religion are germane to their organizations. I believe if you were to take the time to check into the membership roles you would find representatives of many faiths and many races. As such it is not a relevant to the article.
Was I clear enough for you or did I use too many big words?
If the article was about the problems currently prevalent in your schools and the factors causing them, the comments would have some logical validity. Since it is not the subject then the motives for the comments should be examined. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out the motivation behind the comments. Especially not after having read the continuous stalking and attempted cyber bullying you two do on every one of his columns. Do ya’ll two kinda have the hots for him and are trying to get his attention for your unrequited love?
As I stated in my original post, I’m laughing my butt off at you. Not with you, AT you.
By Fred
March 13, 2008 3:37 PM | Link to this
Darn you LT, now I have to post a correction. I just read your comment on the seniors article and there was not a single negative thing on it.
By Mark
March 14, 2008 9:20 AM | Link to this
Fred
“As I stated in my original post, I’m laughing my butt off at you. Not with you, AT you.”
You must have disappeared, because you’re all azz…..
Race had everything to do with this blog. You must have been raised in the south to be so ignorant.
By LT5000
March 14, 2008 11:54 AM | Link to this
Fred,
The reason for my response to Gwinnett school discipline, or lack thereof, was to point out how political correctness has handcuffed the school system.
Gwinnett schools have stopped disciplining students after it was found out that the Disciplinary problems in the school were a majority of minorities.
His article is dealing with violence in schools, the statistics I referenced are salient to the issue. I introduced facts and your instant kneejerk reaction was to play the race card.
As usual Badie’s columns blow. He leaves out salient facts and blatantly misreports.
Maybe you are one of those people who giggles with glee while reading the Badie articles on Human Trumpets and having coffee with old ladies.
Personally, I expect a little more substance from someone who is supposedly reporting on issues in Gwinnett County.
LT5000
By Fred
March 15, 2008 2:52 AM | Link to this
Gee Mark, I guess I lack your fine yankee schooling but I don’t know what the HELL azz is. I reckon I may BE all “azz” as you say but since there really is no such damn word, it makes about as much sense as the rest of the crap you blow out of YOUR a*.
I may be from the south, I may be OF the south, but I didn’t leave MY home because it sucked so bad to go somewhere else and bad mouth them. blow it out of YOUR “azz” whatever the hell that is. I reckon it is some bad taunt since you used it so proudly, but I’ll go along in blissful ignorance with my southern education and tell your damn yankee a* that it isn’t a word.
I was raised in the south you little mealy mouthed p*** and I am proud of that fact. I was educated in the South. I scored, nationwide, higher than 99.8% of people nationwide in standardized tests with my Southern education. I have probably forgotten more things than you will ever know, but I have not forgotten that there are libraries full off crap that I never even suspected much less knew. I don’t consider myself smart, but compared to you I am a genius. Of course compared to you, most anyone with a room temperature that can manage to mouth breath is a genius. I’m sure they know that there is no such thing as an azz. But thank you for playing. Sometimes I feel really spiteful and lay with you certifiable morons. I know it’s not right and I should be ashamed, but just damn, it’s so much fun sometimes. I can just picture you: Sitting there by the computer having someone read the words to you. Then trying to figure out with your limited four letter word vocabulary how to formulate a response. Notice I did not say LOGICAL response because that concept is way past you. You troll the net trying to find someone you can bully and much to your surprise you found me. I push back.
Like the coward you are, you stalk Badie because he gets paid to write and if he tells you what a piece of moronic, inbred dog dung you are, you can file a lawsuit against him and the paper. I don’t work for them so I CAN and WILL tell you what a piece of s** you are. I blow my nose at you. I fart in your direction. WHat are you going to do? Slobber all over your keyboard or crap in your depends? You are scared of your day nurse so you get on the computer and try to bash a man who just wants to write about the good going on. Somehow that threatens you.
Again, I am laughing AT you, not with you. I’m not afraid of your p*** internet attempts at bullying and quite frankly you can bite. You have not yet in anything I have read, made a lucid comment or point. You are the poster child for mothers against inbreeding. Or maybe mothers for inbreeding. I’m sure your sister/mother loved you in her own way, but I couldn’t really give a big fat rats a* about you.
By Mark
March 17, 2008 11:03 AM | Link to this
fred
It’s a good thing us yankees burned this city to the ground, then returned to it to rebuild it to OUR liking, and marry your women. Otherwise, you’d still be p** in your drinking water, you illiterate redneck azz….